Atlantic

Clifford Jordan - Leadbelly

Clifford Jordan These Are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly (Atlantic 1965)

- Francois Leave a comment

The Mosaic label, whose policy of re-issueing and uncovering vaults has been so essential in keeping the flame of classic jazz burning, shed a welcome light last year on tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, releasing a box set of six adventurous albums Jordan produced and recorded in the late sixties and early seventies on Strata-East, among them Jordan’s career-defining 1973 album Glass Bead Games. Jordan’s career included other rewarding efforts, like These Are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly, Jordan’s sole album on Atlantic. It’s a surprise act, a wicked dedication to the roots of black musical culture.

Clifford Jordan - Leadbelly

Personnel

Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone), Roy Burrowes (trumpet), Julian Priester (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano), Chuck Wayne (banjo), Richard Davis (bass), Albert Heath (drums), Sandra Douglas (vocals A3, B3)

Recorded

on February 1 & 17, 1965 in NYC

Released

as SD 1444 in 1965

Track listing

Side A
Dick’s Holler
Silver City Bound
Take This Hammer
Black Betty
The Highest Mountain
Side B
Good Night Irene
De Gray Goose
Jolly ‘O The Ransom
Yellow Gal


Jordan hailed from Chicago, hometown of hard-driving, so-called ‘tough tenorists’ like Gene Ammons and Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis. While Jordan shared their unnerving bravado, his tone is different, an alluring tone, simultaneously rough around the edges and ephemeral. A sought-after sideman, Jordan recorded with stalwarts as Lee Morgan and Max Roach in the late fifties and early sixties, as well as a series of high standard solo albums. Much acclaimed hard bop favorites are Blowing In From Chicago (Blue Note, 1957, with John Gilmore) and Cliff Craft (Blue Note, 1957) Like age matures wine, Jordan’s style ripened in the early seventies, his lines becoming fluent like ripples of lake water. Jordan kept recording and performing steadily until his death in 1993.

Maybe this album, filled with interpretations of such classic tunes as Take This Hammer and Goodnight Irene, is not such a surprise act after all. The preceding year, Jordan had been part of Charles Mingus’ outfit (appearing on the hi-voltage live album Right Now: Live At The Jazz Workshop) Musical gobbler Mingus’ unfazed search for new vistas while retaining an all-embracing sense of the past’s relevance and blend of harmonic finesse with unbridled juke joint tumult surely rubbed off on Jordan.

Da Gray Goose is one of the cases in point. Tasteful harmony over the stop-time theme kicks it into action, strongly plucked bass and fiery drums inspire the soloists, creating an atmosphere of abandon. Lusty shout choruses stoke up the fire as the tune progresses. There are also some, yes, virtuoso banjo parts.

The gloomy folk blues music of Huddie ‘Leadbelly’ Ledbetter, whose life story reads like a combined effort of Shakespeare and James Baldwin, including oppression, hardship, addiction, treachery, murder and prison life, is excellently cast in a jazz frame. But not too jazzy, often the sound of Jordan’s top-notch group is as tough-as-nails as the sound of any one group that enlivened the back alley bars way back when. Jordan’s unpredictable phrasing overcomes the restrictions of the rigid folk blues form.

Craftily uncrafted, These Are My Roots is a spirited album of earnest, raw and ebullient swing.

Milt Jackson

Milt Jackson Plenty, Plenty Soul (Atlantic 1957)

- Francois Leave a comment

At the time of Milt Jackson’ recording of Plenty, Plenty Soul, the group that he was part of, The Modern Jazz Quartet, was a major force in the jazz world. It had recorded their blend of modern jazz and chamber music on albums as Concorde, Fontessa and Django, which included the famous title track. With more time on his hands for the blues away from MJQ, Plenty, Plenty Soul showcases a freewheelin’ Milt Jackson.

Milt Jackson

Personnel

Milt Jackson (vibes), Joe Newman (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland (trombone A1-A3), (Cannonball Adderley credited as Ronnie Peters, alto A1-A3), Frank Foster (tenor saxophone A1-A3), Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone B1-B4), Sahib Shehab (baritone saxophone A1-A3), Horace Silver (piano), Percy Heath (bass A1-A3), Oscar Pettiford (bass B1-B4), Art Blakey (drums A1-A3), Connie Kay (drums B1-B4)

Recorded

on January 5 & 7, 1975 at Atlantic Studio in New York City

Released

as SD 1269 in 1957

Track listing

Side A:
Plenty, Plenty Soul
Boogity Boogity
Heartstrings
Side B:
Sermonette
The Spirit-Feel
Ignunt Oil
Blues At Twilight


Side A has the upper hand. The opener and title track is a long blues that includes an abundance of funky and virtuoso Milt Jackson phrases. The rhythym section of Art Blakey, Horace Silver (Silver had parted ways with Blakey’s Jazz Messengers half a year prior to this session) and Milt Jackson’s colleague form the MJQ, bassist Percy Heath, is especially exciting on the joyful Boogity Boogity. Jackson is stimulated considerably by Blakey’s amalgam of press rolls, tom attacks and nifty use of the snare drum’s metal ring. Ending side A, Jackson’s radiant sound and lyrical twists and turns are at the core of the ballad Heartstrings.

The uplifting arrangements of the first three tracks are by Quincy Jones. The solo’s by Jackson’s sidemen are excellent. Part of the all-star cast is altoist Cannonball Adderley, (credited as ‘Ronnie Peters’ for legal reasons) whose solo on Boogity Boogity is one of the album’s highlights.

In comparison to this session, the one that culminated in side B is less spiritedlacks. Milt Jackson’s other colleague from the MJQ, drummer Connie Kay, is much less energetic than Art Blakey. It’s why tunes like Nat Adderley’s pretty, infectious melody Sermonette, don’t really take off. Less exceptional than side A, side B nevertheless presents a couple of highlights. Firstly, the abundant church feeling Milt Jackson brings to his performances, especially in The Spirit Feel, makes the heart skip a beat. Secondly, Jackson demonstrates both outstanding technique (utilising the four mallet-approach) and a feeling for the blues in the slow blues Blues At Twilight. Finally, tenorist Lucky Thompson’s round tone and articulate style are responsible for the session’s merry atmosphere.

In my opinion, both sides of Milt Jackson – the ‘blowing’ kind and the MJQ-kind – deserve equal attention. The downgrading of John Lewis has been a favourite sport of Milt Jackson fans. Reportedly, Jackson hated his guts and in spite of being fed up with the quartet periodically, stayed in it for the money. Yet, Jackson fans tend to forget that Lewis’s writing and arranging skills and understated (quietly swinging) piano backing brought masterful play out of Jackson.

Obviously, we should be very glad that Milt Jackson also kept recording in his own right. As his second solo foray on Atlantic using a top-notch all-star cast, Plenty, Plenty Soul foreshadowed other exciting collaborations with Ray Charles (Soul Brothers, Soul Meeting), Coleman Hawkins (Bean Bags) and John Coltrane. (Bags & Trane)

060133

David “Fathead” Newman Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David Newman (Atlantic 1958)

- Francois Leave a comment

Do you know that feeling of hearing a piece of music that quite literally makes you jump for joy against the ceiling? The music within the grooves of the album Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David “Fathead” Newman has that kind of effect. Its bucket boils over with intoxicating energy and exhilarating swing.

060133

Personnel

David “Fathead” Newman (tenor and alto saxophone), Bennie Crawford (baritone saxophone), Marcus Belgrave (trumpet), Ray Charles (piano), Edgar Willis (bass), Milt Hinton (drums)

Recorded

on November 5, 1958 in Atlantic Recording Studios, NYC

Released

as SD 1304 in 1960

Track listing

Side A:
Hard Times
Weird Beard
Willow Weep For Me
Bill For Bennie
Side B:
Sweet Eyes
Fathead
Mean To Me
Tin Tin Deo


Texan saxophonist David Newman had been a part of the Ray Charles band since 1954, mostly on tenor, but he played baritone and his first choice, alto, as well. Newman’s solo debut on Atlantic came about on the instigation of Ray Charles. The decision to back the saxophonist with the entire Ray Charles crew proofs to be a wise one. What a group of players it is! They bring coherence and continuity of thought while, simultaneously, deliver remarkable individual statements. Brother Ray himself contributes short solo’s on every tune. These are some of the many highlights of this session.

Central to the proceedings is the lively tenor and alto of David “Fathead” Newman. For a start, he makes Hard Times – the Paul Mitchell tune, not the Ray Charles blues – completely his own with a hard pitch and vocalised style; a combination that suits this bouncy, mid-tempo swinger very well.

There are a couple of outstanding tunes and arrangements by Hank Crawford, (still credited as Bennie Crawford) who was chief arranger and saxophonist in Ray Charles’ group and plays fresh and adequate baritone saxophone for this occasion. Weird Beard (a giddy reference to trumpeter Marcus Belgrave’s goatee) is a Horace Silver-type, old-timey blues tune with a characteristic bridge. It has the kind of heavy swing and deep blues feeling comparable to the grooviest cuts of Cannonball Adderley and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Newman blows brisk and confident phrases in your face that you’re not likely to forget.

Bill For Bennie is played by the sextet but sounds like a big band. It’s an uptempo swinger. All soloists are fiery and the unisono horn parts stimulate them to even more intense parts. This group is so amazingly tight! The fast-tempoed Sweet Eyes is another winner by Hank Crawford. The tough, jive-style big band drumming elevates the tune to relentless swing. Ray Charles deserves special mention for the way he brings out the best of the soloists on this album with playful triplets and clear-headed left hand chords. The swift solo of Ray Charles also reminds us (and reminded the listeners back then) of the more than average jazz knowledge that the foremost progenitor of soul music had in stock.

As a matter of fact, it is obvious that the whole band has got its chops together. There isn’t a wrong note and every one of them is full of vigour. The jazz world had become acquainted with The Ray Charles Band’s jazz credentials at the Newport jazz festival, as it reportedly left the crowd and critics stunned. Mostly, David Newman takes first choruses, as in the blues standard Willow Weep For Me, which he graces with heartfelt alto work. The trumpet solo of Marcus Belgrave in the blues tune Fathead is a mix of buoyancy, long flowing lines and above average proficiency.

With the help of his mates from the Ray Charles Band, and the boss himself, David “Fathead” Newman delivered a truly stunning album.

Hank Crawford - Mr. Blues

Hank Crawford Mr. Blues (Atlantic 1967)

- Francois Leave a comment

Not only did Hank Crawford play baritone and alto sax in the band of Ray Charles, he also was its director from 1959 to 1963. Much of the charm of Charles’ legendary working band and recordings such as Atlantic’s Ray Charles In Person lay in the exquisite, soulful and gospel-tinged arrangements of Crawford. The Ray Charles band was admired by both the r&b audience and jazz world. Both during and after his tenure with Ray Charles, Crawford recorded a magnificent string of albums on Atlantic in his own right, that crossed boundaries between jazz and r&b. Mr. Blues is Crawford’s eight release on Atlantic.

Hank Crawford - Mr. Blues

Personnel

Hank Crawford (alto sax A2-A5 & B1, B2, B4, piano A1, B3), Wendell Harrison (tenor sax), Lonnie Shaw (baritone sax A1-A5, B1, B2, B4), Lonnie Shaw (baritone sax B3), John Hunt (trumpet), Fielder Floyd (trumpet), Sonny Forriest (guitar A1, A2, A4, B1, B4), Charles Green (bass A1-A3, A5, B2, B3) Charles Dungey (bass A4), Charles Lindsay (bass B1, B4), Isaac Walton (drums A1, A2), Wilbert Hogan (drums A3, B1, B4), Joe Dukes (drums A4), Milt Turner (drums A5, B2, B3)

Recorded

on October 17 & 29, November 17, 1965 and January 14 & 19, March 21, 1966

Released

as Atlantic 1470 in 1967

Track listing

Side A:
Mr. Blues
On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
Hush Puppies
Danger Zone
Route 66
Side B:
Lonely Avenue
Teardrops
Smoky City
The Turfer


Taking into account soaring solo’s like the one in Percy Mayfield’s blues ballad Danger Zone, the designation ‘Mr. Blues’ is duly justified. Paradoxically, however, the two most straightforward blues tunes are the weakest links on Mr. Blues. Both the title track, on which Crawford makes a piano appearance, and Lonely Avenue, are formulaic. Usually, what jazzmen do with the blues is adding something like an extended bar pattern, a turnaround, a peculiar rhythmic figure or tag ending. Crawford doesn’t add anything special to Mr. Blues and Lonely Avenue. The tunes also suffer from rather crude guitar solo’s. Crawford’s version of Lonely Avenue does not lack energy but the excitement of Ray Charles’ 1956 hit performance of Doc Pomus’ composition is far away.

However, it’s incorporating blues ‘feeling’ into jazz in a sophisticated manner, instead of playing blues matter-of-factly, what makes Crawford’s approach special. A good example is On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever), which contains suave horn voicings behind Crawford’s alto horn, followed by a jumpin’ and rockin’ unisono horn part; a method that succesfully makes a small group of four horns sound very big.

Tunes like this – waltz blues Hush Puppies, a shuffle version of Bob Troupe’s Route 66 and the ballad Teardrops – that combine the anguised, vocal-like style of Crawford with his tough arrangements are utterly irresistable. There’s also nothing wrong with the third and fourth Crawford originals that round off the album: Smoky City is an uplifting piano boogiewoogie and The Turfer is a blues with a boogaloo rhythm that sounds like an edgy back-up track for Otis Rush or Magic Sam.

Hank Crawford’s crossover endeavors were fundamental in keeping jazz vital. Mr. Blues may not be Crawford’s quintessential Atlantic album, but it definitely does the job.

Grassella Oliphant - The Grass Is Greener

Grassella Oliphant The Grass Is Greener (Atlantic 1967)

- Francois Leave a comment

It gets to you. That slow draggin’ beat of Get Out My Life, Woman that makes you think you’re listening to an alternative backing track of the Allen Touissant tune as performed by Lee Dorsey with Clark Terry ‘singing’ through his pocket trumpet, flavored with the lazy horns that state the well-known theme and the added bonus of John Patton’s greasy organ. A surprising start to a hip record by obscure drummer Grassella Oliphant.

Grassella Oliphant - The Grass Is Greener

Personnel

Grassella Oliphant (drums), Grant Green (guitar), John Patton (organ), Harold Ousley (tenor saxophone A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4), Clark Terry (trumpet, fluegelhorn, pocket trumpet A1, A2, A4, B1, B3, B4), Major Holley (bass)

Recorded

in 1965 in NYC

Released

as SD 1494 in 1967

Track listing

Side A:
Get Out My Life, Woman
Ain’t That Peculiar
Soul Woman
Peaches Are Better Down The Road
Side B:
The Yodel
Cantaloupe Woman
The Latter Days
Rapid Shave


Well, not that obscure. A number of hip hop artists have plundered The Grass Is Greener for beats, as well as Lee Dorsey’s funky recording of Allen Touissant’s composition. Think what you like about these methods – whether it’s pure theft or a mature artistic effort – at least they had good taste.

I wouldn’t call The Grass Is Greener an all-out smash, though. One’s search for a bit of flair in Oliphant’s drumming in the two jazzier bits will remain fruitless. And from the soul and funk-jazz tunes that luckily comprise the main part of the album, Ain’t That Peculiar (the 1965 hit for Marvin Gaye that was written by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and was a very popular cover among soul jazz artists of that period) doesn’t really pick up steam and is redeemed largely by the sharp-as-a-tack presence of guitarist Grant Green. The rest, however, and especially organist John Patton’s compositions Soul Woman and The Yodel are on the ball from start to finish.

Both tunes receive an unconventional snare treatment by Oliphant, a continuous, rollicking roll that is continued throughout. It’s powerful and stimulating for the other musicians. The Yodel is a particularly heavy cooker in which Patton and Green trade red hot solo’s. With such hard bop giants in tow, it’s hard to go wrong, and Oliphant doesn’t.

A comparison with John Patton’s album Got A Good Thing Goin’ (recorded April 29, 1966), that also has got Grant Green aboard, is justified. An uncommon figure of three tunes overlap with The Grass Is Greener: The Yodel, Soul Woman and Ain’t That Peculiar. It includes a version of the latter that runs smoother than Oliphant’s take. John Patton’s originals are cookin’ and faster executed, including outstanding Green and Patton solo’s. Nevertheless, I prefer the earlier 1965 versions of The Yodel and Soul Woman, that possess the added tenor sax of Harold Ousley on The Yodel and a more ‘southern’ feel. Both fine albums, I dutifully stipulate, deserve a place in your shopping bag.

Grassella Oliphant (nicknamed “Grass”) dropped out of the business in 1970, only to return professionally after a 40-year hiatus in 2010 in the New Jersey area. He won’t make the cover of Downbeat Magazine, but will undoubtly serve the citizens of New Jersey a tasty and spicy meal.